Abstract
Background and PurposeAmnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a putative prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) characterized by deficits in episodic verbal memory. Our goal in the present study was to determine whether executive dysfunction may also be detectable in individuals diagnosed with aMCI.MethodsThis study used a hidden maze learning test to characterize component processes of visuospatial executive function and learning in a sample of 62 individuals with aMCI compared with 94 healthy controls.ResultsRelative to controls, individuals with aMCI made more exploratory/learning errors (Cohen's d = .41). Comparison of learning curves revealed that the slope between the first two of five learning trials was four times as steep for controls than for individuals with aMCI (Cohen's d = .64). Individuals with aMCI also made a significantly greater number of rule-break/error monitoring errors across learning trials (Cohen's d = .21).ConclusionsThese results suggest that performance on a task of complex visuospatial executive function is compromised in individuals with aMCI, and likely explained by reductions in initial strategy formulation during early visual learning and “on-line” maintenance of task rules.
Highlights
In older adults, amnestic mild cognitive impairment is classified on the basis of objective evidence of specific and relatively large (i.e. .1 to 1.5 standard deviations) impairment in episodic memory, self- or informant-reported problems in memory but intact activities of daily living and mood [1,2]
The groups differed with respect to sex, with slightly more males in the amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) group
A univariate analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the aMCI group made fewer moves per second on the timed chase test (28.996.79 vs. 33.896.79; F(1,146) = 15.53, p,.001, d = .69) compared with healthy controls
Summary
Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is classified on the basis of objective evidence of specific and relatively large (i.e. .1 to 1.5 standard deviations) impairment in episodic memory, self- or informant-reported problems in memory but intact activities of daily living and mood [1,2]. Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is classified on the basis of objective evidence of specific and relatively large Brandt and colleagues found that individuals with aMCI were worse on measures of planning/problem solving and working memory, but not judgment (e.g. Iowa Gambling Test), relative to healthy controls [9]. The magnitude of these impairments relative to controls was small to moderate (e.g., Cohen’s d = 0.46 for planning/problem solving and Cohen’s d = .49 for working memory). Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a putative prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) characterized by deficits in episodic verbal memory. Our goal in the present study was to determine whether executive dysfunction may be detectable in individuals diagnosed with aMCI
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